Sorrell's S4Capital Buys Influencer Marketer IMA

Sir Martin Sorrell's investment vehicle S4Capital has merged its content arm MediaMonks with Amsterdam-headquartered influencer marketing company IMA. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Sorrell set up S4Capital last year, just weeks after quitting former employer WPP, and then made Amsterdam-based MediaMonks the company's first acquisition.

Last summer, S4Capital merged with programmatic solutions provider MightyHive, and in April this year, it expanded its digital content and programmatic capabilities with the acquisition of Amsterdam and Miami-based film production studio Caramel Pictures and Sao Paulo-based programmatic consultancy ProgMedia. More recently, the business announced a proposed merger with Adobe-certified online marketing and customer experience company BizTech.

S4Capital has now taken over IMA, which was founded in 2010 by Emilie Tabor and Maddie Raedts, who were joined by CEO Anneke Schogt in 2016. The business employs a team of 85 digital experts, who help international brands activate appropriate audiences through tailored campaigns. According to the company, its network of 40,000 social media influencers reaches billions of customers worldwide, across different geographies and industries, including fashion, retail, consumer electronics, automotive, travel, beauty and lifestyle.

In a statement, S4Capital said that the merger further strengthens MediaMonks' digital marketing expertise and ability to reach new customers with 'engaging content' across the full range of digital channels. Sorrell added: 'This merger is yet another example of our focus on top line growth. Influencer marketing is an important sub-set of the digital content marketing industry and is predicted to double in size over the next three years. Emilie, Maddie and Anneke are also great examples of female entrepreneurs, who are building successful digital businesses. They will bring an added dimension to both MediaMonks and S4Capital.'

Web sites: www.s4capital.com , www.mediamonks.com and www.imagency.com .